Taking one of America’s most-loved supercars, the Dodge Viper — a car seemingly built purely for the purpose of blistering top speed figures with a soundtrack that more closely resembles that of a howling wolf on a full moon — and turning it into something entirely different was truly a bold move. Over the decades, very few have attempted this feat, reinforcing the "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" mentality in its entirety. Sure, the Viper may not be to everyone’s tastes — it’ll struggle to lap a circuit in the same minute as a Porsche 911 GT3, and it’ll never draw in a crowd quite like a Lamborghini can — but the Viper has rightfully earned its place in the supercar world for being, well, cool.
However, as cool as it may be, General Motors' former Vice Chairman Bob Lutz and his business executive Gilbert Villarreal, founders of VLF Automotive, thought America’s beloved Viper could be even more menacing in the looks department. With a goal of creating their own premium performance car using the Viper’s underpinnings, the duo drafted in famed designer Henrik Fisker, creating this beastly machine, the Force 1.
Constructed around the 2015 Dodge Viper platform and maintaining only the central section, the Force 1 gained entirely new front and rear body sections, as well as new doors and facias. Now with comically wide rear wheel arches and an open grille, the car’s entire stance has been completely altered, taking an already fierce machine and cranking it up way past 11. Completing the new look, the car sits on custom deep-dish wheels which were also designed by Fisker.
Not content with simply transforming the bodywork, the team then set about reworking the interior as well as the Viper’s monstrous 8.4-litre V10 engine. The car was given new camshafts, higher flow headers, and a free flow exhaust system which led to a staggering 745 horsepower, over 100 more than the original car. It had the looks and it most certainly had the power when it debuted at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, with the company forecasting a limited production run of just 50 examples, but the reality was a very different story. With the Force 1's price tag set over $286,000, uptake was slow, which led to a lack of funding for production, and in the end just five examples were ever built.
Quirky beyond compare and an instant head turner, this meaner-than-mean take on a Dodge Viper truly is a worthy investment for those who admire American machines. Likely to impress at local shows and national concours exhibits alike, the Force 1 is certainly one of the boldest statements of contemporary design we’ve seen for a little while!
